New signal from sea prompts intensified black box search

PERTH: Australia on Sunday sent planes and ships to investigate signals detected by a Chinese ship in the hunt for a missing Malaysian jet, saying they matched black box beacons and were an “important and encouraging lead.”

Angus Houston, the Australian head of the mission, said a second “ping” was also being scrutinized 300 nautical miles away in the Indian Ocean, as the one-month lifespan of batteries powering the beacons loomed.